Tokyo stocks open modestly higher on Wall St. gains

Tokyo stocks opened modestly higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, with their upside capped as investors remained cautious before the release of U.S. retail sales and other economic data later in the day. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 35.70 points, or 0.13 percent, from Wednesday to 27,854.32. The broader Topix index was up 1.80 points, or 0.09 percent, at 1,949.26. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by air transportation, mining, and land transportation issues. At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 142.91-94 yen compar...